Hainan Airlines compensates passengers delayed for 15 hours

(ECNS) -- Hainan Airlines has paid compensation to passengers booked on a flight that was delayed for nearly 15 hours, possibly because the captain brought the wrong passport.

The flight was scheduled to depart Chengdu for Los Angeles at 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 10. But more than 150 passengers waited an hour after boarding the plane at Shuangliu International Airport before being told to disembark. They were later moved to a hotel, and the flight departed the next day.

A staff member at Hainan Airlines told Beijing Youth Daily that the delay was "the fault of Hainan Airlines."

Several passengers said the delay affected their itineraries in the United States, including the loss of prepaid accommodation and transportation costs.

The airline said it had paid 500 yuan to each passenger because of the delay.

A female passenger surnamed Zhang said a staff member with a HAN employee ID card told passengers the delay was due to the captain accidentally bringing his private passport, rather than his service passport.

A number of passengers on the flight confirmed the report.

The airline said it was uncertain who had made that claim, and that the specific reasons for the delay were still under investigation.